Robert Forster 1941-2019
Robert Wallace Forster Jr. (July 13, 1941 – October 11, 2019) was an American actor.
Born in Rochester, New York, he completed his Bachelor of Arts in history in 1964 at the University of Rochester, where he starred in student dramatic performances such as Bye Bye Birdie and, after initially intending to study law, instead decided to become an actor.
After acclaimed supporting performances in two major Hollywood films, one as Private Williams in John Huston's Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967), another as part-Indian Army scout Nick Tana in Robert Mulligan's The Stalking Moon (1968), Forster starred in the critically acclaimed film Medium Cool (1969). After starring roles in the television series Banyon (1972) and Nakia (1974), he played mostly supporting roles in action and horror films including Disney's The Black Hole (1979). Forster had lead roles in cult B-movies in the 1980s like Alligator (1980), Vigilante (1983), The Delta Force (1986), and The Banker (1989). In 1997, Forster was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Jackie Brown, which he credits with reviving his career. He has since had consistent work in the film industry, appearing in Like Mike, Mulholland Drive, Me, Myself & Irene, Lucky Number Slevin, and Firewall, to name a few. He appeared in the made-for-television movie The Hunt for the BTK Killer, as the detective intent on capturing serial killer Dennis Rader. Forster also played the father of Van on the short-lived Fox series Fastlane. Forster recorded a public service announcement for Deejay Ra's Hip-Hop Literacy campaign, encouraging reading of books by Elmore Leonard (he starred in the movie adaptation of Leonard's book Rum Punch, filmed as Jackie Brown). Forster appeared in the hit NBC series Heroes as Arthur Petrelli, the father of Nathan and Peter Petrelli, as well as the Emmy Award-winning AMC crime drama Breaking Bad as Walter White's new identity specialist (a role he later reprised in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie). He played Tim Allen's father, Bud Baxter, to Allen's Mike Baxter on the Fox hit comedy Last Man Standing. Forster was also a motivational speaker.
Forster passed away from brain cancer in Los Angeles, California on October 11, 2019 at the age of 78. His final movie El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie premiered on Netflix the same day as his passing.